Black Bullet (Anime + LN)

I thought it sounded a bit similar to Ao T second opening.

I very much doubt the composer had SnK in mind, although I can see why people might compare it. This musical style is very typical of fripSide.

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Man this took a nosedive. Hard. The first episode was sorta OK with some workable concepts. Then apparently something rotten fell on the gas pedal and this thing sped out of control trough a corn field.

Pacing is a major issue here. In the fourth episode there are multiple massive Big Moments that'd take at least an episode each to work on their own in a better series. This one drives by them without barely giving them a glance. Even on their own, each of those big moments is a Crowning Moment Of Corn. It's all so bloody corny and ridiculous I was expecting it to intentionally veer into comedy but there's no trace of humor here.

This is like a textbook case of horrible execution on all fronts. The only way this might be justified if this was a 4 episode series and ends here, at least then it would just be yet another badly paced OVA. That, sadly, does not appear to be the case.

Excessively angry rant, I know, but this seems to be another fairly poignant example of what's wrong with a lot of the Anime produced nowadays. They want to be cool and flashy yet are only imitations of other works that actually earned those adjectives. They try to get there by copying concepts and styles without fully realizing what made the originals actually work. This seems to be especially the case with light novel adaptations, which leads me to believe a portion of the problem is with the LN industry. (Big symptom of the problem: Overpowered main characters that are that way before the story even starts due to some tragic backstory event. I mean how many have we got of those as of late?)

So, I think I'm dropping this now. Or, rather, I decided I'd be dropping it if it didn't improve last episode. And this episode did the opposite of improving

The main thing is that the pacing is terrible, and only ever got worse. This looks like a problem with the source material, as 4 episodes is fairly standard for an LN adaptation

Also, the whole thing is hard to take seriously. I was laughing throughout the Kagetane fight, what with the random cyborg reveal and attack calls, which I don't think was intended

I don't follow. How does this point to problems with the source material rather than problems with the choices made in adapting it?

Also, the reveal was practically telegraphed, so I wouldn't exactly call it random.

edited 29th Apr '14 4:15:01 PM by darksidevoid

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Actually, the light novels weren't even rushed at all. The light novels had a much slower pace than the anime. The biggest problem being is that Kadokawa (one of the guys behind this anime) want to rush 4 volumes worth of Light Novel content into 13 episodes (and yes, this episode count has been confirmed); while a 2-cour anime series that ends at the sixth volume would have been more reasonable.

However, I am very concerned about this anime, mainly because since they're trying to rush 4 volumes worth of light novel content into 13 episodes, they actually cut a lot of things from the light novel. For example, there was an existentialist mind screw on Rentaro's flashback in episode 3 that shows how he got the prosthetic right arm, right left, and left eye. If this anime ever gets dubbed (btw, it's been picked up by Sentai Filmworks last week), I think only a Bang Zoom! Entertainment dub can bring proper justice to the series.

edited 29th Apr '14 4:33:54 PM by DarkPaladinX

What the hell, Sexy Scientist? Why did she lie about Enju's Corrosion Rate (24.9% instead of 42.1%)?

edited 30th Apr '14 1:47:28 AM by Sykosis

What was in your right hand is hope; And in another hand is something else to fade.

It looked to me it was Rentarou who lied.

Yeah, that's what I got out of that as well.

Kagetane is presumably dead, the Stage 5 Gastrea is destroyed, the box is retrieved.

But at a price.

Out of about 12+ Promoter/Initiator pairs, only one survived (the M Cs), it's revealed that Tendo was basically the mastermind behind this, Dolphin-chan had to be mercy-killed, Rentaro basically got zero answers for all his trouble, the box is revealed to contain a fucking TRICYCLE of all things, not to mention all the crapshoot gambles the MCS had to take (the AGV drugs, the arm as ammo and the manual aiming.)

Those drugs, is it a 20% chance of transforming for every injection? Cos probability-wise, with that many in one go, he should have definitely transformed. Are the side-effects (regeneration) once-off?

Then again, the Super Varanium may have played a role.

With the wounds he received from the Gastrea that took his arm, leg and eye, he should have been infected big-time and transformed. Unless the Sexy Scientist was able to counteract that.

So, Kisara is an Ill Girl?

edited 30th Apr '14 8:17:06 AM by Sykosis

What was in your right hand is hope; And in another hand is something else to fade.

The pacing is such as it feels like they're just making stuff up as they go along. Issues are brought up and resolved within minutes, with no time to even start caring about them, nor do they matter at all aside from giving a little bit of tension. It's just about on the same level as Fuuun Ishin Dai Shogun, but it tries to take itself seriously. And it's animated.

Check out my fanfiction!

That's not how probability works. Assuming it works like that, his chances of not transforming were around 1/3. ^note  80% of not transforming from one, and he took five. so 80% from one, 80% of 80% = 64% from two, 80% of 64% = ~51% from three, 80% of 51% = ~41% from four and 80% of 41% = ~33% from five.

But, really, it's more logical to assume that the 20% chance is for all that, because otherwise, why bother using it all?

edited 30th Apr '14 4:20:03 PM by Gilphon

It's possible that single syringes were intended for smaller wounds, which wouldn't exactly cut it when a huge hole's been blown in your torso.

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

If anyone asks why Rentaro lied to Enju about her corrosion rate (which was dangerously hovering around 42.1% and only has 7.2% left in her), this is because, as mentioned in the Black Bullet characters' page, that Rentaro happens to be a utilitarian. He prioritizes on bringing happiness to people he cares about (especially Enju, whom he treats her like a Little Sister Heroine).

However, he simply does not want to anyone sad (or in worst case scenario suffering). It also doesn't help to note that Enju happens to be very emotionally fragile. If she's happy, she gets happy relatively easily. However, if Enju gets sad relatively quickly, she will get sad quickly and break down in tears quickly. I can tell you that after four episodes, she broke in tears crying in sadness about 5 times. Thus, Enju's emotional fragility reinforces Rentaros utilitarian ethics and he will rather take the emotional burden of Enju's corrosion rate than Enju taking the emotional burden.

Think about this, if you have a superpowered little sister loli who is known to break down in tears crying and being said easily and you learn that her corrosion rate is in dangerous levels, what would you do? Will you tell her the truth and permanently break her emotionally and mentally or lie and let her be happy? If I were in Rentaro's shoes, I will go for the later.

edited 30th Apr '14 5:58:11 PM by DarkPaladinX

Plus, doesn't emotional distress make it progress faster? I'm sure I recall that from somewhere.

edited 30th Apr '14 6:04:41 PM by darksidevoid

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Yeah, that, along with the fact that Enju happens to be Fragile Flower Nice Girl, is one of the main reasons why Rentaro refuses to tell Enju's actual corrosion rate.

Episode 4:

• Yep, dead Shogen. And everyone else.
• So that's what Miss Scientist did to Rentaro. Not so special anymore, huh, Kagetane?
• "Am I going to lose?" Yes. Now siiiiinnnnnk.
• So Scorpio Gastrea nearly destroyed the world? So why did it decide to appear early? Guess that means the other Level 5s are crap. And I thought they didn't have any secret weapon to counter Level 5s, or did I mishear something?
• I wanted Kayo to live. Well, it's better to be mercy-killed than be corroded into nothingness...
• Wow. Mr.Tendo, you're one piece of work. And what's up with the tricycle? Was it the last lingering thoughts of a cursed child before turning into a Gastrea? A useless hunch, I know, but...did that tricycle actually summon it?
• A new day dawns. Everything's fine. Except not really. Between Kisara's kidney problems and Enju edging closer to death, it's quite...bleak. For now, everything's fine.

edited 1st May '14 7:48:40 AM by Diamite

I'm pretty sure they were just lucky that Level 5 Gastrea was within range of their giant railgun.

It feels weird that this was all resolved so quickly.

How many Civil Agent pairs are there left in Tokyo now after 10+ pairs got massacred in that mission.

What was in your right hand is hope; And in another hand is something else to fade.

This episode was ridiculous...in so many ways.

Once again I'm really wondering how in the heck all those feral cursed children have not corroded already. There's got to be an explanation for this right?

p.s. I don't even think that level 5 Gastrea wanted to hurt anyone.

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.

Utilizing the Gastrea virus within oneself is mainly what increases the corrosion rate. Well, that and emotional distress and getting covered in giant bug guts or venom. The reason the Cursed Children living on the outskirts of society aren't corroding is that they pretty much never actively engage in combat.

edited 1st May '14 6:18:29 PM by darksidevoid

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Yeah, this episode was a massive step down from the previous ones. It felt like it got resolved because Rentaro is the protagonist. The "getting the mega-railgun" thing to work felt like something out of a bad CRPG.

I guess they were trying to imply something about the origin of the Gastrea? Even if the tricycle has some like to that monster it doesn't make any sense that it would summon it without anything else. No matter how important something is to someone it doesn't matter if they have know way of knowing it's there.

edited 2nd May '14 9:03:41 AM by kiukiuclk

I still find it kind of hilarious that they killed a world-destroying giant Cthulhu looking monster with what amounts to a phlebotinum Rocket Punch.

There's still ten more of those out there. Like I said, they were lucky that one was in range. Next- time, I doubt they'd have such an advantage.

What was in your right hand is hope; And in another hand is something else to fade.

Episode 5:

• Another Glasses Douche? This season has quite a handful of them.
• Lots of bluntness going around.
• Tina's not a morning girl. Her night job is taxing, after all.
• Rentaro's benefactor, huh? And it looks like she fights with a gun and fan in hand. Cool.
• But hey, if you and Kisara are gonna fight, take it outside. Rentaro and Enju casually moving the table was pretty funny. Now, about that house insurance...
• Well, that Saitake person's very ambitious. And he planned on using that cannon as a Kill Sat. Very ambitious. Dictator-level ambitious.
• Seitenshi's not so stoic. And kids say the darnest things sometimes.
• Well, won't this be an awkward moment when Tina and Rentaro find out who's who...

Just when I told you guys that they were lucky that Stage 5 was within range and that next time they won't be so lucky, Episode 5 comes out and reveals that the giant rail-gun was actually meant to be basically a Kill Sat or orbital weapon mounted on the moon. Meaning that in theory, all the Stage 5's technically are in range.

Lol. Sleepy Tina looks adorable and stoned out of her mind.

Why do Kisara and Miori hate each other?

What was in your right hand is hope; And in another hand is something else to fade.